1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a transparent toner for electrostatic latent image development, a method for producing the same, an electrostatic latent image developer, a toner cartridge, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus.
2. Related Art
A method of visualizing image information via an electrostatic latent image by an electrophotographic method has been utilized in various fields at present. In the electrophotographic method, image information is formed as an electrostatic latent image on the surface of a latent image holding member (photoreceptor) in charging and exposure steps, and then developed with a toner-containing developer to form a toner image on the surface of the photoreceptor, and the toner image is transferred onto a recording medium (transfer medium) such as paper in a transfer step and then fixed on the surface of the recording medium in a fixing step, thereby visualizing the image.
Formation of a color image by a color electrophotographic method that has dramatically become popular in recent years involves color reproduction generally with 4-color toners, that is, 3-color toners of subtractive primaries (yellow, magenta and cyan) plus a black toner.
In the general color electrophotographic method, an original manuscript (image information) is first subjected to color separation into yellow, magenta, cyan and black colors to form electrostatic latent images of the respective colors on the surface of a photoreceptor. On this occasion, electrostatic latent images formed for the respective colors are developed with developers containing toners of the respective colors to form toner images which are then transferred in a transfer step onto the surface of a recording medium. A series of steps from formation of an electrostatic latent image until transfer of a toner image onto the surface of a recording medium are performed in order for the respective colors so that toner images of the respective colors are superimposed in accordance with the image information and transferred onto the surface of a recording medium. In the transfer step, the toner images are transferred directly or via an intermediate transfer medium onto a recording medium.
In this manner, a colored toner image obtained by transferring toner images of the respective colors onto the surface of a recording medium is fixed in a fixing step as a color image.
In formation of these color images, not only the conventional Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan) and BK (black) toners but also a transparent toner is used in attempting at correcting the in-plane gloss difference of an image, at regulating gloss on the surface of a transfer paper, or at correcting the density of an image and the amount of adhered toners.